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'He's a freak athlete' - NRL 'rugby boy' wants Wallabies jersey

(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Suliasi Vunivalu was so focused on Melbourne’s NRL grand final that he had forgotten when he was due to check in at the Queensland Reds.

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The dual premiership winner found out from his manager on Monday that he’s required around Christmas after committing to the Reds and Rugby Australia on a two-year deal.

“I’m not sure. I’ve wanted to focus on this first,” Vunivalu told AAP after bagging a breathtaking 80-metre intercept try that took the wind out of Penrith’s sails in the Storm’s 26-20 triumph.

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Nic White and James O’Connor talk Bledisloe III

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Nic White and James O’Connor talk Bledisloe III

Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy hailed the flying winger as his side’s best in the first half at ANZ Stadium and the 24-year-old’s cross-code defection looms as a major blow for the Storm.

The premiers are also almost certain to lose fellow representative winger Josh Addo-Carr.

After the entire Storm squad sang a Fijian hymn in the middle of ANZ Stadium as a touching farewell, Vunivalu admits it’ll be a wrench leaving the NRL superpower.

But hi s heart lies in the 15-man code following a hugely successful five-season stint at the Storm.

“Yeah, it’s going to be hard to walk away. This is a very special group we have here,” he said.

“But I’m a rugby boy. I only started playing league when I came to the Storm.”

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Wallabies and Reds five-eighth James O’Connor has no doubt Vunivalu – a 2017 rugby league world player of the year nominee – is ready to make his mark in rugby.

“He’s a freak athlete. You saw that,” O’Connor said on Monday.

“He’s a tall man, can move well and he seems like he’s got a good knowledge of the game.”

The Suva-born star himself is making no secret of the fact he’s hoping to become the latest dual international, be it on the wing or in the centres for the Wallabies.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t,” he said.

“It would be a dream to wear the green and gold Wallabies jersey.”

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Tom 6 hours ago
Will Bristol's daredevil 'Bears-ball' deliver the trophy they crave?

Also a Bristol fan and echo your sentiments.


I love watching Bristol but their approach will only get them so far I think. Exeter played like this when they first got promoted to the prem and had intermittent success, it wasn't until they wised up and played a more balanced game that they became a consistently top side.


I really want Bristol to continue playing this brand of rugby and I don't mind them running it from under their posts but I don't think they need to do it every single time. They need to be just a little bit more selective about when and where on the pitch they play. Every game they put themselves under so much needless pressure by turning the ball over under their posts trying to do kamikaze moves when it's not required. By all means run it from your goal line if there is a chance for a counter attack, we all want to see Bristol running in 100m tries from under their posts but I think until they learn when to do it and when to be pragmatic, they are unlikely to win the premiership.


Defense has been a real positive from Bristol, they've shown a lot of improvement there... And I will say that I think this kamikaze strategy they employ is a very good one for a struggling side and could be employed by Newcastle. It's seems to have turned around Gloucester's fortunes. The big advantage is even if you don't have the biggest and best players, what you have is cohesion. This is why Scotland keep battering England. England have better individuals but they look muddled as a team, trying to play a mixed strategy under coaches who lack charisma, the team has no identity. Scotland come out and give it full throttle from 1-15 even if they struggle against the top sides, sides like England and Wales who lack that identity drown under the relentless will and synergy of the Scots. If Newcastle did the same they could really surprise some people, I know the weather is bad up there but it hasn't bothered the Scots. Bristol can learn from Scotland too, Pat is on to something when he says the following but Scotland don't play test matches like headless chickens. They still play with the same level of clarity and ambition Bristol do but they are much better at picking their moments. They needed to go back to this mad game to get their cohesion back after a couple of seasons struggling but I hope they get a bit wiser from matches like Leinster and La Rochelle.


“If there’s clarity on what you’re trying to do as a team you can win anything.”

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